Mavenir said the two projects are part of the U.K. government’s Open Networks Ecosystem Competition
Network software provider Mavenir said it has been awarded two 5G Open RAN (O-RAN) projects, as part of the U.K. government’s Open Networks Ecosystem Competition, which aims to foster the adoption of open and interoperable network technology.
In a release, Mavenir said that the two projects have secured government funding through the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) and will focus on demonstrating innovative approaches to optimizing O-RAN network performance in High Demand Density (HDD) environments. HDD sites – including cities, airports, sports stadiums, and major public events – present the most challenging conditions for the technical performance of mobile networks, the company said.
BG Kumar, president of access networks, platforms and MDE at Mavenir, said: “We are excited to have been awarded funding by DSIT through the two consortia for two ground-breaking projects designed to demonstrate the adaptability and impact of Open RAN connectivity with [local mobile operators] Three and Virgin Media O2, in the high-density mobile traffic landscape. Together with our partners, we are accelerating development and driving adoption of 5G Open RAN networks towards the creation of a more connected, empowered, and sustainable future.”
Mavenir explained that the company is a member of the consortium chosen to deliver SCONDA – Small Cells O-RAN in Dense Areas – which is a project designed to address the unique technical and commercial challenges of High-Density Demand areas.
The company highlighted that SCONDA creates a small cell densification layer in high demand urban hotspots to offload the macro traffic and provide a better customer experience. The project will further enable automation of the network performance within the challenging radio environment of Glasgow City center. The project aims to demonstrate how O-RAN can be deployed, integrated and managed within the wider Three mobile network in Glasgow and evaluate how O-RAN compares with the quality and capacity of a traditional RAN network, Mavenir said.
Other consortium members for the SCONDA project are AWTG, Three, Boldyn, the University of Surrey, PI Works, Scotland 5G Center, the University of Glasgow and Accenture.
Meawnhile, the 5G MoDE project is being delivered by Mavenir, Virgin Media O2, VMWare and the University of Surrey. Mavenir is technical lead on the project, and provides essential O-RAN hardware, software, and services. 5G MoDE – which stands for Mobile O-RAN for highly Dense Environments – will leverage advanced technologies and intelligent design to showcase the effectiveness of the 5G MoDE concept in real-world, high-density mobile traffic scenarios,” Mavenir said.
The company added that the main focus areas for the project include an O-RAN Intelligent Controller (O-RIC), power-saving and capacity optimization, centralized cloud units, zero-footprint implementation, and O-RAN Massive MIMO Active Antenna Unit (AAU). By combining these elements, the consortium partners aim to enhance spectrum efficiency, reduce energy consumption, optimize network capacity, minimize environmental impact, and provide a quality service even in very densely populated areas.
The U.K. government has previously announced a joint ambition with local mobile network operators to increase the share of open and interoperable equipment in U.K. networks to 35% by 2030.
